This pathfinder is made for Room 1, grade 5 at Para Hills Primary School, 2010, using SACSA Frameworks Primary Years Band - Science. Strand: Life Systems, working towards Standard 3.
During this unit of work, we will be taking a close look at the systems within the human body, and how they work. In particular we will be looking at the skeletal system, the circulatory system, the respiratory system, the digestive system and the nervous system. You will need to keep referring to your project sheet to make sure that you are finding information that will be useful for your task. Don't forget to use your information skills to research your project. Click here or look at the handout in the front of your theme book to revise them. This pathfinder will help you find a variety of resources to help you with your research. Scroll down to go to each section.
Here are some KEY WORDS you might find useful:
Circulation - the movement of blood through the arteries and veins of the body.
Digestion - the process by which the stomach and intestines turn food into a form that the body can use as energy.
Respiration - the process of breathing.
Skelton - the bones and cartilage that support the body and protect soft body parts.
system - a group of related things or parts that work together as a whole.
function - the purpose or role that an object or a person fulfills and is suited to.
organ - a part plants or animals that performs a certain task.
REFERENCE MATERIALShttp://www.wordsmyth.net/This is a link to an online dictionary. It might come in handy if you are reading information and have trouble understanding some words. Choose the Children's Dictionary (top left corner of the page), or if you want an even simpler definition, choose the Beginner's Dictionary. Click on the sound symbol if you want to hear how to pronounce the word.Encarta encyclopedia - this can be found on the school's intranet site, and is a good place to start if you are not quite sure what information you are searching for. You might find some key words to help you search, and it can be useful to help you understand some technical terms too. Skim and scan the articles, look closely at sub-headings and keep in mind the key words you are searching for. Search EngineSweet Search this link will take you to a search engine designed especially for children to use. IF you decide to use a search engine to look for information that you can't find from the links on this page, this is a good one to try. Remember to use key words when you are searching, and be sure that the information you have chosen is relevant to your project. You must be able to understand the information you use and explain it to a friend in your own words.
BOOKS:
Don't forget to check out the books in the school library, or the public library. You may not need to find all of your information from the internet - some of it will be easier to find and understand from a book. You can used the list of keywords above to help you search for books in the school library catalogue. You will find books about the human body at 612 on the library shelves. Here are just a few that I found in the library, I am sure you will be able to find more.
Horrible Science: Blood, Bones and Body BitsShelf Location - non-fiction 611ARNThis book is written in easy-to-understand language, with lots of interesting facts and some funny illustrations. It has a quiz at the back, and a useful index to help you use those keywords to find the information you need.Human Body Revealed Shelf Location - non-fiction 612 DAVThis book is full of interesting information about the body and has clearly labelled transparent overlays (see through pages) that show what the body looks like on the inside. There are also photographs of the inside of the body. Use the index at the back of the book to look for relevant information for your project.The Way We WorkShelf Location - non-fiction 612 MACThe amazing illustrations in this book will blow you away - the author has illustrated the body as if it were a machine, and this can help you understand how the systems work. There is a glossary in the back of the book to help you with tricky terminology (BIG WORDS!), but the book is American, so look out for words spelt differently. The index right at the back of the book will be helpful too. Remember that the illustrations will help you to understand how the body system works, but many of them are not accurate drawings of how the body parts really look.
WEBSITES:
Here are some links to websites that you might find useful. There will of course be lots of other websites that are useful, and you might want to search for them later, but these ones will definitely have information that is useful for you, and they are a great place to start. Remember to keep looking back at your project planning sheet, so that you are not getting distracted, and are finding information that is useful and relevant to your project. It is important to record the date, and the URL of the websites that you use for your bibliography.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/
This website is especially designed for use by children. You can navigate to a particular body system by choosing an organ from that system, or by using the search box. Do be careful not to click on the ads, because they will open new windows. This site has lots of information in different formats - videos, articles and some activitites. If you are not a confident reader, you can choose to hear the articles read to you. Be careful though, as it's a computer reading to you and it gets confused when it comes to a picture - choose the option that highlights the words (in settings), so that you can read along.
http://www.biology4kids.com/files/systems_main.html
Biology for Kids - this website has information about all the different body systems, and also about how the different systems work together. You may need a dictionary or glossary of human body terms while you are reading the information, but if you read it carefully, most of the terms are explained. There are some funny illustrations too - have a look and see what a person would look like without a skeleton!
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/digestive/
This web page will give you lots of information about the digestive system.Because it's an American page oesophagus is spelt esophagus, so watch out for that one! Some of the words are quite tricky, but there is a very handy glossary to explain them all to you - scroll down to the bottom of the page to look for it.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/skeleton/
Another page from the ENCHANTED LEARNING website, this one has lots of information about the human skeleton. Don't be tempted to try the printouts, as these are only available to subscribers. This is a good starting point for researching the skeletal system, but you will need to look elsewhere for more detail.
http://microbemagic.ucc.ie/
Microbe Magic is a fun, interactive website for kids! It has lots of information that will be useful to you, and it's fun to navigate, with some silly sounds. Click on the 'Explore your Body" link and the "Healthy Living" link. Don't get caught up in playing the games, as most of them will not help you with your project - you might want to have a go at the quiz though. This site also has a handy dictionary, to help you with some of those tricky words.
http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/body/
"Your Gross and Cool Body" - this website has lots of information presented especially for kids. You can choose a body system from a drop-down box and explore that way, or choose a body function to investigate in another drop-down box. The body systems are illustrated on a photo, so you can see exactly where it fits in your body. It's very easy to get distracted by all the interesting things on this site, so make sure you keep looking back to your project planning sheet to make sure that your research is relevant.
http://circulatory-system.org/
This website has information about the heart and the circulatory system. Some of the information may be harder to understand, so read it slowly and carefully, and think about using the reference material listed earlier to help you use this site. Make sure that you understand all the information you collect, don't be tempted to 'copy and paste' something that you don't understand.
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/introb.html
Neuroscience for Kids - This website has A LOT of information about the nervous system on it. You will have to be very careful not to get distracted. Remember to look at the subheadings for key words that are relevant to YOUR project. Don't be bamboozled - stay focused and remember that you are looking for relevant information only.
http://www.lung.ca/children/index_kids.html
Inside the Human Body - click on the grades 4-6 link, then on the respiratory system link. This website has lots of easy to understand useful information. As well as the human respiratory system, there's information about how different animals breathe. Remember that we spell oesophagus differently to Americans, because it's on this site too! Lots of useful diagrams to help you make sense of the respiratory system.
This pathfinder is made for Room 1, grade 5 at Para Hills Primary School, 2010, using SACSA Frameworks Primary Years Band - Science. Strand: Life Systems, working towards Standard 3.
During this unit of work, we will be taking a close look at the systems within the human body, and how they work. In particular we will be looking at the skeletal system, the circulatory system, the respiratory system, the digestive system and the nervous system. You will need to keep referring to your project sheet to make sure that you are finding information that will be useful for your task. Don't forget to use your information skills to research your project. Click here or look at the handout in the front of your theme book to revise them. This pathfinder will help you find a variety of resources to help you with your research. Scroll down to go to each section.
Here are some KEY WORDS you might find useful:
Circulation - the movement of blood through the arteries and veins of the body.Digestion - the process by which the stomach and intestines turn food into a form that the body can use as energy.
Respiration - the process of breathing.
Skelton - the bones and cartilage that support the body and protect soft body parts.
system - a group of related things or parts that work together as a whole.
function - the purpose or role that an object or a person fulfills and is suited to.
organ - a part plants or animals that performs a certain task.
REFERENCE MATERIALShttp://www.wordsmyth.net/This is a link to an online dictionary. It might come in handy if you are reading information and have trouble understanding some words. Choose the Children's Dictionary (top left corner of the page), or if you want an even simpler definition, choose the Beginner's Dictionary. Click on the sound symbol if you want to hear how to pronounce the word.Encarta encyclopedia - this can be found on the school's intranet site, and is a good place to start if you are not quite sure what information you are searching for. You might find some key words to help you search, and it can be useful to help you understand some technical terms too. Skim and scan the articles, look closely at sub-headings and keep in mind the key words you are searching for.
Search Engine Sweet Search this link will take you to a search engine designed especially for children to use. IF you decide to use a search engine to look for information that you can't find from the links on this page, this is a good one to try. Remember to use key words when you are searching, and be sure that the information you have chosen is relevant to your project. You must be able to understand the information you use and explain it to a friend in your own words.
BOOKS:
Don't forget to check out the books in the school library, or the public library. You may not need to find all of your information from the internet - some of it will be easier to find and understand from a book. You can used the list of keywords above to help you search for books in the school library catalogue. You will find books about the human body at 612 on the library shelves. Here are just a few that I found in the library, I am sure you will be able to find more.
Horrible Science: Blood, Bones and Body BitsShelf Location - non-fiction 611ARNThis book is written in easy-to-understand language, with lots of interesting facts and some funny illustrations. It has a quiz at the back, and a useful index to help you use those keywords to find the information you need.Human Body Revealed Shelf Location - non-fiction 612 DAVThis book is full of interesting information about the body and has clearly labelled transparent overlays (see through pages) that show what the body looks like on the inside. There are also photographs of the inside of the body. Use the index at the back of the book to look for relevant information for your project.The Way We WorkShelf Location - non-fiction 612 MACThe amazing illustrations in this book will blow you away - the author has illustrated the body as if it were a machine, and this can help you understand how the systems work. There is a glossary in the back of the book to help you with tricky terminology (BIG WORDS!), but the book is American, so look out for words spelt differently. The index right at the back of the book will be helpful too. Remember that the illustrations will help you to understand how the body system works, but many of them are not accurate drawings of how the body parts really look.
WEBSITES:
Here are some links to websites that you might find useful. There will of course be lots of other websites thathttp://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/
This website is especially designed for use by children. You can navigate to a particular body system by choosing an organ from that system, or by using the search box. Do be careful not to click on the ads, because they will open new windows. This site has lots of information in different formats - videos, articles and some activitites. If you are not a confident reader, you can choose to hear the articles read to you. Be careful though, as it's a computer reading to you and it gets confused when it comes to a picture - choose the option that highlights the words (in settings), so that you can read along.
http://www.biology4kids.com/files/systems_main.html
Biology for Kids - this website has information about all the different body systems, and also about how the different systems work together. You may need a dictionary or glossary of human body terms while you are reading the information, but if you read it carefully, most of the terms are explained. There are some funny illustrations too - have a look and see what a person would look like without a skeleton!
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/digestive/
This web page will give you lots of information about the digestive system.Because it's an American page oesophagus is spelt esophagus, so watch out for that one! Some of the words are quite tricky, but there is a very handy glossary to explain them all to you - scroll down to the bottom of the page to look for it.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/skeleton/
Another page from the ENCHANTED LEARNING website, this one has lots of information about the human skeleton. Don't be tempted to try the printouts, as these are only available to subscribers. This is a good starting point for researching the skeletal system, but you will need to look elsewhere for more detail.
http://microbemagic.ucc.ie/
Microbe Magic is a fun, interactive website for kids! It has lots of information that will be useful to you, and it's fun to navigate, with some silly sounds. Click on the 'Explore your Body" link and the "Healthy Living" link. Don't get caught up in playing the games, as most of them will not help you with your project - you might want to have a go at the quiz though. This site also has a handy dictionary, to help you with some of those tricky words.
http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/body/
"Your Gross and Cool Body" - this website has lots of information presented especially for kids. You can choose a body system from a drop-down box and explore that way, or choose a body function to investigate in another drop-down box. The body systems are illustrated on a photo, so you can see exactly where it fits in your body. It's very easy to get distracted by all the interesting things on this site, so make sure you keep looking back to your project planning sheet to make sure that your research is relevant.
http://circulatory-system.org/
This website has information about the heart and the circulatory system. Some of the information may be harder to understand, so read it slowly and carefully, and think about using the reference material listed earlier to help you use this site. Make sure that you understand all the information you collect, don't be tempted to 'copy and paste' something that you don't understand.
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/introb.html
Neuroscience for Kids - This website has A LOT of information about the nervous system on it. You will have to be very careful not to get distracted. Remember to look at the subheadings for key words that are relevant to YOUR project. Don't be bamboozled - stay focused and remember that you are looking for relevant information only.
http://www.lung.ca/children/index_kids.html
Inside the Human Body - click on the grades 4-6 link, then on the respiratory system link. This website has lots of easy to understand useful information. As well as the human respiratory system, there's information about how different animals breathe. Remember that we spell oesophagus differently to Americans, because it's on this site too! Lots of useful diagrams to help you make sense of the respiratory system.